Daniel Levy
Senior Attorney
Leads citizenship by descent, business immigration, and work permits. Named in Who’s Who Legal, 2018–2021.
Canadian citizenship by descent
Claim the Canadian citizenship you were born into.
Was your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent a Canadian citizen? A 2025 law may make you one too.
Find out in 3 minutes(opens CanadaVisa in a new tab)If you qualify, a lawyer prepares your citizenship and passport application. Then you can sign and file.
- 4.6 Google rating
- 50Years in practice
- 100,000Files handled
- 100Client nationalities
Why it’s worth proving
A passport, a Plan B, a legacy for your kids.
What you get is permanent—and it travels with you and your family.
185+visa-free destinations
A Canadian passport opens the EU, the UK, Japan, and most of the world without a visa.
For lifeand it passes down
Citizenship is permanent. Children born before December 15, 2025 inherit it automatically through you.
Stay putno relocation required
It’s a status, not a residency. Most hold it for school, work, healthcare, a Plan B, and never move.
9–12 moIRCC backlog, rising
Applications have surged since Bill C-3 took effect. Earlier filings clear the queue first.
How it works
Proving it is simpler than you’d expect, and you’re never on your own.
01Step one
Tell us about your Canadian relative.
A few questions about the Canadian relative you descend from. It takes about three minutes, and it’s free.
About 3 minutes02Step two
We prepare and check every page.
Your proof-of-citizenship application is built for your specific lineage and checked line by line before it ever reaches the government.
About 2 weeks to prepare03Step three
You file. Then we prep your passport.
Sign and mail your citizenship application with our step-by-step instructions. After IRCC issues your certificate, we use the same intake to prepare your Canadian passport.
Government review: 9–12 months, then passportLawyer-reviewed, every file
A dedicated case manager builds it. A regulated Canadian immigration lawyer checks it.
Your lawyer confirms the exact provision of the Citizenship Act your claim rests on, traces the chain of descent generation by generation, and flags any record that needs a certified translation. If something won’t hold up, you hear it from us, not from IRCC.
What we prepare for you
A complete submission package, checked by a lawyer before it reaches the government.
- 01Cover letter
IRCC cover letter
Addressed to Sydney, NS, summarizing the Bill C-3 basis for your claim and listing every enclosed document.
- 02Narrative
Chain-of-descent narrative
A plain-language story of your Canadian lineage, written in the order IRCC expects to read it.
- 03Family tree
Family tree visualization
A generation-by-generation diagram of the chain, from your Canadian-born ancestor down to you.
- 04Form
Filled CIT 0001 (14 pages)
A print-ready PDF with every field populated. We mark the signature page so you know exactly where to sign.
- 05Passport
Filled passport application
Prepared after IRCC issues your citizenship certificate, using the same intake. We mark every place you sign.
- 06Filing kit
Document checklist & filing kit
Every supporting record IRCC needs from you (in the order to clip into the envelope), the mailing instructions for IRCC in Sydney, NS, and exact Government of Canada photo specs for your Canadian passport.
The legal team behind your case
Lawyer-led, accountable for every file.
Senior lawyers at Cohen Immigration Law, leading a team of ~60. The firm behind CanadaVisa and CIC News.
Olivia Cohen
Immigration Attorney
Graduated from McGill’s Faculty of Law. Dedicated to upholding the firm’s long-standing reputation.
Ala Bujac
Senior Attorney, Head of Operations
Runs firm operations. Member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association.
Gabriel Dumitrascu
Senior Attorney
Expert on federal, provincial, and Quebec economic immigration programs.
Memberships
Questions, answered
The things people ask before they begin.
Is this the same as applying for citizenship?
No. You’re not applying to become Canadian. If you qualify under Bill C-3, you already are a citizen. You’re filing for proof, or recognition, of the citizenship you already hold.
Will I lose my current citizenship?
No. Canada allows dual citizenship, and so do many countries, including the United States. Being recognized as Canadian does not, by itself, affect your existing status. Confirm your own country’s rules to be sure.
Do I have to move to Canada?
No. Canadian citizenship is a status, not a residency requirement. Many of our clients hold it for optionality and never relocate.
How long does it take?
Telling us about your relative takes about three minutes. Once you provide your records, we prepare and lawyer-review your package, and IRCC is currently quoting roughly 9–12 months from submission.
What if I don’t have all the documents?
We give you a precise checklist of the records IRCC needs and where to find them. If your Canadian ancestor was born in Canada, many birth and marriage records can be requested from the province or territory where the event took place, including Quebec, Ontario, and the other provinces.
Can my children get citizenship too?
Yes. Children born before December 15, 2025 inherit Canadian citizenship automatically through you. Children born after that date may be subject to a substantial-connection test.
What if my ancestor’s name was changed?
Common, especially in French-Canadian families (Beaulieu became Beaulu; Pierre became Pete). Secondary records such as census, marriage, military, and immigration files can establish identity even when names shifted across borders.
Prove it with the firm behind CanadaVisa.
Applications are climbing since the law changed. Start with a free, three-minute check—then a regulated Canadian immigration lawyer builds your citizenship application and Canadian passport, ready for you to sign and file.
Counsel since 1976100,000+ cases handled4.6★ on Google